Just as she was looking at the scarves, Chu Mingcheng finally arrived at the mall.

Jiang Luoluo sent him her location and continued browsing.

At the same time, a handsome and very charming man entered the shop.

The man gave off a mature, steady impression at first glance, but it was also clear he wasn't young—at least thirty-five or older.

A man of this age, if he was already good-looking, took care of his appearance, and had money in his pocket, was infinitely more attractive than a young man.

Chen Chu had also come today to buy a suitable outfit, planning to visit a neighbor in a couple of days with some gifts.

Of course, a simple neighbor wouldn't warrant a special visit.

But their family had a beautiful daughter, which made it all worthwhile.

Logically speaking, with his looks, education, and income, his success rate when actively pursuing a woman should have been very high.

Moreover, he was a man of integrity, never fooling around, with only two past relationships.

Unfortunately, last year he'd been defeated by his age.

Chen Chu could never have imagined that, being only ten years older than her, he would be rejected for being too old.

Unfortunately, he hadn't had time to let her get to know him before he had to go abroad for work.

This year, he decided to try again.

He believed that as they spent more time together, she would come to understand his excellent qualities, and age would naturally cease to be an issue.

But Chen Chu never expected it to be such a coincidence, running into the woman who moved him even more than his first love while just out buying clothes.

If this wasn't fate, then what was?

He quickly straightened his clothes, then put a finger to his lips to silence the approaching sales associate.

Then he walked over and gently tapped Jiang Luoluo's shoulder.

With her back to the entrance, Jiang Luoluo had no idea someone was approaching from behind.

Feeling the touch on her shoulder, she assumed it was Chu Mingcheng. Although she wondered how he'd gotten there so fast, she still turned around with a joyful smile.

But when she saw it wasn't her boyfriend, the smile on her face instantly turned to confusion. "Who are you? Can I help you?"

Chen Chu had seen the smile on Jiang Luoluo's face and thought she was happy to see him, too, but her next words made his composure crumble.

Wow, she'd completely forgotten him. Didn't even recognize him!

Chen Chu didn't think he had a generic face. He shouldn't be hard to pick out in a crowd—in fact, he should be quite distinctive.

Normally, people would have a vague impression.

Although he was complaining inwardly, on the surface, he could only manage a forced smile. "I'm Chen Chu. I visited your house last year—do you remember?"

With his reminder, Jiang Luoluo actually did remember.

"I remember now. Is there something you need?"

As she asked, she was still a little wary. How did he know she was here?

"I came to buy clothes today and didn't expect to run into you. It's quite a coincidence, so I came over to say hello."

"Oh..."

Jiang Luoluo believed most of that. She also thought it was probably a coincidence, but faced with someone who'd once pursued her, she didn't know what to say.

She'd rejected him clearly and decisively back then, but since he wasn't bringing anything up now, she couldn't say anything particularly pointed either.

Fortunately, Chu Mingcheng finally arrived.

"Cheng!"

Seeing Jiang Luoluo rush over the moment she saw him, Chu Mingcheng, though puzzled by her enthusiasm, instinctively opened his arms and caught her in a full embrace.

"So enthusiastic after just a few days apart. Are you that happy to see me?"

"Well, did you miss me?"

"Of course I did. I wish we could be stuck together every day."

Chu Mingcheng chuckled and pinched his girlfriend's nose, then let her go.

After all, there were lots of people in the store, and it was a bit embarrassing to be the center of attention.

But while they were being lovey-dovey, the situation on the other side wasn't so great.

If hearts were made of glass, everyone in the store could probably have heard the sound of shattering.

Having the woman you want to pursue suddenly have a boyfriend would make anyone uncomfortable.

Chen Chu was a normal person, not a masochist. Naturally, he didn't want to stay here any longer.

As a member of the social elite, he had his pride.

To keep fawning over her in this situation would mean throwing away his dignity, and he wasn't about to do that for someone else's girlfriend.

So he walked up to the couple. "Luoluo, I have something to take care of, so I'll be going. Bye!"

"Okay."

Then Chen Chu nodded to Chu Mingcheng and left.

"Who was that?" Chu Mingcheng asked curiously.

"A neighbor. We just happened to run into him," Jiang Luoluo explained simply, then pulled him into the store and started helping him pick out clothes.

Half an hour later, Chu Mingcheng was carrying two shopping bags in his right hand and holding his girlfriend's hand with his left, heading toward the mall's food court.

At the same time, they were both wearing simple, matching couples' scarves around their necks.

If Chu Mingcheng's stomach hadn't been growling incessantly from hunger, he suspected Jiang Luoluo wouldn't have stopped shopping.

"What do you want to eat for lunch?"

"How about Hangzhou cuisine? Since you're in Hangzhou, it wouldn't be right not to let you try the local food, right?"

"You lead the way."

"Mm." Jiang Luoluo led Chu Mingcheng to a local restaurant in the mall.

They followed a waiter to a table, only to find Chen Chu sitting at the table next to them, eating alone.

Chu Mingcheng was a little surprised to run into him again.

But Jiang Luoluo and Chen Chu just stared at each other. How could it be such a coincidence?

Especially Chen Chu, who was mentally quite strong. After being provoked by Jiang Luoluo earlier, he'd quickly readjusted himself while eating here.

Since she already had a boyfriend, he had no intention of being a homewrecker.

For one, she was a neighbor. If he tried something like that and succeeded, fine, but if he failed, his reputation would be ruined.

Although he himself was abroad, his family was still in the country.

Secondly, his initial intention to pursue Jiang Luoluo was mainly because he understood her character and found her to be rather pure, without many schemes.

Also, she was beautiful enough. It was normal for a gentleman to admire a fair lady.

To say he was deeply in love would be an exaggeration.

It was just a rational man thinking he'd met a suitable partner.

Therefore, he also knew that this kind of woman wouldn't be easily swayed by external conditions, unless he used some sort of conspiracy to drive a wedge between their feelings and cause them to break up. That might give him a chance.

But there were thousands of women in the world. Why would he go to such lengths? It wasn't realistic.

But right now, he really didn't want to be served this extra dish of public affection!

Jiang Luoluo also felt it was strange. Eating with Chu Mingcheng, there would inevitably be some affectionate gestures, and it was a bit hard to be completely relaxed in front of an acquaintance.

But deliberately changing tables also seemed inappropriate.

However, Chu Mingcheng didn't know the full situation. He nodded at Chen Chu as a greeting.

As they waited for their food, some public displays of affection were inevitably served to the person next to them. Fortunately, he'd arrived early and was almost done eating. After being force-fed a couple of mouthfuls, he fled in disarray.

However, Chen Chu could never have imagined that while he'd escaped the first encounter, there was more to come.

After enjoying their lunch, Chu Mingcheng and Jiang Luoluo leisurely strolled through the mall to walk off their meal and buy the makeup.

It wasn't until two o'clock, when Li Ying called, that the two, lost in their date, were jolted back to reality. They had important business today!

Jiang Luoluo drove in front to lead the way, with Chu Mingcheng following behind.

The closer he got to the destination, the more nervous he found himself becoming, his palms even starting to sweat a little.

Meanwhile, at the Jiang family home, Chen Chu was so embarrassed that his forehead was about to break out in sweat.

He had no idea that after he went out to buy clothes, his parents would go over to the Jiangs' to sound out Jiang Luoluo's parents.

Last year, Jiang Bo and Li Ying had said it was up to Jiang Luoluo herself. They'd had a good impression of Chen Chu, their only concern being that he was a bit old and they feared a generation gap.

But this year, their visit made things awkward for the couple.

Their daughter already had a boyfriend, but their visitors just kept making small talk, making it difficult for them to state the fact plainly.

It wasn't until Chen Chu arrived and secretly explained the situation to his parents that they understood and quickly made an excuse to leave, avoiding an awkward situation for both families.

Jiang Bo and Li Ying also breathed a sigh of relief. They hadn't expected this family to show up right after their daughter had called to say she was coming home.

If Chu Mingcheng had run into them, wouldn't it have been a huge misunderstanding?

But they did run into each other!

Just as Jiang Luoluo was about to knock, her front door opened, and out walked Chen Chu and his family. She froze on the spot.

Chu Mingcheng was extremely nervous at this point. Seeing Chen Chu was a bit strange, but when he saw his parents, he assumed they were Jiang Luoluo's parents and immediately stepped forward, calling out loudly, "Uncle, Auntie, hello! Sorry for the intrusion today..."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by Jiang Luoluo's sudden laughter.

She first greeted Chen Chu's parents, and after they left, she leaned close to Chu Mingcheng's ear and whispered, "Where did you learn 'sorry for the intrusion'? We already set a time, so it's not an intrusion—it's weird, you know. Also, you called the wrong people."

"..." Actually, even without Jiang Luoluo's reminder, Chu Mingcheng knew he'd called the wrong people, because Li Ying had already come to the doorway from inside the house.

"Auntie, hello!"

This time, he knew he was definitely right, because Jiang Luoluo looked a lot like Li Ying—you could tell at a glance.

"You must be Cheng! Come in, come in." Li Ying naturally knew about the mix-up, but she pretended not to, warmly welcoming Chu Mingcheng into the house.

When she saw the pile of gifts, she chided, "You child, you should have just come. Why bring so many things!"

"It's just a small token of my appreciation." Chu Mingcheng carried the gifts into the house and also saw Jiang Bo sitting on the sofa. "Uncle, hello. I heard from Luoluo that you like tea, so I specially bought some black tea. I hope you like it."

With that, he took out the tea.

Jiang Bo had originally planned to give Chu Mingcheng a bit of a hard time. He wanted to make the young man understand that his daughter had her family's backing, so she couldn't be bullied after getting married.

But the show of authority couldn't be too much, lest it make Chu Mingcheng lose face. So the couple had already agreed that Li Ying would play the good cop.

Now, seeing that it was Qimen Black Tea, in packaging he recognized, he almost couldn't maintain his stern expression.

Tea worth several thousand per jin was something he'd only drunk regularly back in his more prosperous days. Nowadays, he only drank tea worth a few hundred. This gift went straight to his heart.